31Chapter 1: Nightmare
~Who Knew~
First, I would like to apologize to anyone who liked the original version of this story, but I hope you all enjoy this revamped version of it too! I've switched up some things but I've left in many of the elements that those who loved the original like the most. With that said, I hope everyone enjoys this ride as much as I love writing it- enjoy
"Mommy, can I cut the vegetables this time?"
A young seven-year-old girl with brightly shining viridian eyes asked while looking up at the said woman. A beautiful woman with long dark pink hair and deep forest green eyes smiled down at her daughter, ruffling the little girl's bright pink hair.
"Not this time, Sakura-chan. You're still a little too young to be handling a knife."
With that, the older woman brought her attention back to chopping the aforementioned item. Sakura pouted softly, watching her mother intently. Her hands held the edge of the counter as she stretched on the tips of her toes to get a better view.
"Sakura-chan."
The little girl shifted her gaze to look out into the living room across from the kitchen. A nine-year-old boy with a head of dark red hair and dark forest green eyes leveled his eyes with hers, a small grin on his face.
"Do you want to help me and dad with a puzzle?"
The little girl's eyes lit up.
If there was one thing she loved more than helping her mother, it was playing games with her brother and father. In this case, most of her mother's work in preparing dinner involved a lot of tasks she isn't allowed to help with. Even though she's a big girl, she's still not big enough to handle sharp objects- ie the knife her mother is currently using. With that being said, the only other option she has is to help her father and brother.
"Go."
Her eyes glanced back up to her mother as the woman giggled softly. Love shined clearly in her smile as she gazed down at her daughter.
"I'll let you know when I need your help."
The little girl looked back and forth from her mother's work to her older brother who was still watching her from the other side of the couch.
"Ok, mama."
With that, the little girl backed away from the counter, making her way over to her brother and father.
Both men were sitting neatly around the medium-sized coffee table in the center of their sectional couch. A half-completed puzzle sat in the middle of it with the image of half a parrot and tree the only hint as to what the picture will be. So far, the two have been working on it for a day so there's still room for ample progress.
"Do you want to help me find the pieces of the bird? Dad is still working on finding the tree."
"Yeah! Can I put the pieces down if I find them, Satoshi?"
The older boy smiled down at her, placing a gentle hand on the top of her head.
"Of course, Saku-chan."
Like that, the small Haruno family settled into an evening of laughter, before enjoying a hearty meal together. Soon, it was time for the children to be put to sleep. Sakura yawned tiredly as her mother carried her into her bedroom next to her parents. Her father and brother trailed behind her as they all wanted to wish the pinkette sweet dreams before retiring to sleep themselves. As her mother tucked her into her bed, she kissed the young girl on the forehead.
"Sweet dreams, my love." She whispered.
Sakura smiled up at her, giving her a kiss on the cheek in return.
"Sweet dreams, mama."
"Don't I get a kiss goodnight too?" Her father laughed, sitting on the edge of her bed.
He opened his arms wide causing the young girl to giggle as she sat up and embraced him. Her father kissed the top of her head, before settling her back down into her bed.
"Goodnight, blossom."
"Goodnight, daddy."
Both of her parents smiled at her before rising and moving towards the door. Satoshi took this time to step forward and pull the blanket up to her chin, tucking the edges into her side so she was wrapped in its warm embrace.
"Goodnight, Saku-chan. Tomorrow, we can finish the puzzle, and then I can show you how to play shoji."
Even threw her haze of sleep, Sakura's eyes lit up.
"Really, Satoshi?" The older boy smiled, nodding his head causing the young girl's delight to swell. "You're the best!"
"I already know that." The two shared a laugh before Satoshi gave her a hug, whispered a final goodnight, before both he and their parents excited the young girl's room.
Sakura closed her eyes and let out a contented sigh. She loves her family and she can feel their love for her every day. So, while lying in the darkness of her room, enveloped in the warmth of her blanket her family lovingly laid her into, she made a silent wish. A wish that the joy and happiness surrounding her family stay- forever and always.
The harsh crackling of thunder woke Sakura in a cold sweat within the dead of night. Howling winds sounded through her window while heavy rains pounded against the glass. The sight of trees dancing wildly in the torrent storm outside caused fear to grip the young girl's heart. Tossing her blanket aside, she scrambled out of her bed and made a mad dash to the first thought of sanctuary that came to her mind- her parent's room.
Once she was in front of the door, the small child raised her fist to knock, until she heard the sound of a muffled scream from the other side of the door.
Is there something wrong with mommy?
In all seven years of her life, she's never heard such fear coming from either of her parents. Maybe they're afraid of this storm too? Taking a deep breath, she moved her fist to knock, but the door was ripped open, revealing a man she's only seen in the pictures her parents showed her- Orochimaru. A man her parents told her to avoid and run from if he ever approached her.
His eyes weren't focused on her at first, but it's like he sensed her presence the way he snapped his gaze down. However, there was something within his stare that caused an even greater fear to fill the pinkette. It only deepened when a wide smile slowly stretched his lips.
"What do we have here?" He almost sounded giddy causing the young girl to shiver in fear, her wide eyes glued to his cold gaze.
Angry muffled yelling brought the young girl's attention away from him and into her parent's room. Three masked men surrounded her parents. Both of them tied, gagged, and held on the floor by two of the masked men with their feet. Her father was the one that was making the sound as he glared hateful daggers into Orochimaru's back while her mother wasn't moving.
"Mommy… daddy…" Tears slid down the young girl's face before she dragged her gaze back up to the man her parents taught her to fear. "W-w-w-w-what are-"
"Well, aren't you supposed to be asleep?" He cut her off, bending down to her height.
"I-I-"
"What's your name?" He tilted his head, a thoughtful expression covering his face until recognition filled his dark eyes. "Ah! Sakura, right? You like to draw for your mommy and daddy."
Her body trembled, her fingers digging into the fabric of her pajama pants as she balled up the fabric. Is this some kind of bad dream? His smile only got impossibly wider making him look like a demon.
"Those two aren't talking, so make sure they regret it before you kill them. I need to have a little chat with my… cute little niece." The men behind him nodded their heads before pulling out knives. They kneeled closer to Sakura's parents, her father struggling hard before they started slicing at them.
"No-!" Orochimaru roughly grasped the young girl's arm, yanking her painfully into the air as he stood up before trapping her in a bone-crushing hold.
"If you try to scream again, I'll snap your spine." He hissed, that smile never leaving his face.
Chills ran down Sakura's spine as tears continued to pour down her cheeks. She wanted to tell him to let her go or at least loosen his grip as she could feel her ribs being crushed against his chest, but fear kept her paralyzingly silent.
Her silence seemed to please Orochimaru as he started walking down the hallway and out the front door. The men that were in the room quickly followed behind after silently closing her parent's bedroom door. As they made their way down the hall, Sakura couldn't help the longing look in her eyes as they passed her beloved brother's bedroom door.
Please- please save me!
However, the closer they grew to his room, the easier she could hear the soft music playing. Her heart instantly dropped as realization dawned on her.
He can't hear over the music.
As her body slumped into Orochimaru's crushing arms, she resigned herself.
Once they were out the front door, they moved quickly across the yard to a dark four-door car parked on the side of the street a few houses down. All of the windows are heavily tinted making it impossible to see what's inside. When they were a few feet away, the driver's door opened revealing a large man- larger than Orochimaru with ridiculously large muscles covering his body.
"New cargo boss?" The man stated a grin on his face that caused Sakura to shake in fear.
"That's up to how obedient my new little niece is." Her uncle laughed. The man didn't say anything else. He opened the back door and Orochimaru climbed in, keeping Sakura held tightly in his lap. The other four men climbed in afterward and the large men drove off.
Even as they pulled out of the silent neighborhood, Sakura couldn't help but look at every passing house, car, person, or even animal in hope.
Please- someone- anyone- help me!
But the further they went from the city- the fewer people she saw, her heart squeezed in pure fear.
I'm going to die.
She cried silently, biting her lip in order to keep her whimpers from escaping. A strong pat on her knee sent her body rigid.
"Don't worry, Sakura-chan." Orochimaru's voice only made her heart pound harder as she failed to keep her body from shaking. "You'll be fine as long as you're a good girl." The driver bellowed in laughter but he didn't comment.
Mommy… daddy… help.
She squeezed her eyes closed as she hung her head, allowing her tears to splash on to her pink pajama bottoms.
Within another forty-five minutes, the car stopped outside of a large, three-story building surrounded in forestry. The place looked abandoned with the way vegetation grew on the walls and a few of the windows were either boarded up or covered in metal sheets. Sakura already got the feeling that this place reminded her of the scary movies she would sometimes glimpse when her parents watched them late at night. She'd much rather stay inside the car, but Orochimaru wrapped a constricting arm around her waist making it hard for her to breathe as he got out. He adjusted her in his arms so she was facing him once more, but his hold on her never loosened- if anything it only grew stronger.
"Keep the car running," Orochimaru called without turning to the driver who just got out of the car. The man's eyes flashed as he took a step towards him.
"First you don't let me have my time with the two bastards and now you're trying to turn me into a chauffeur? That's not what you hired me to do."
Sakura gasped in pain as Orochimaru squeezed her so tight her back popped. He half-turned towards him, rage clearly on his face, before pausing, as if a thought occurred to him. Glancing down at the terrified child in his arms, his wide, unnerving smile returned.
"If that is what you wish, you may come." He turned back to the building, not flinching when the large man behind him grunted in approval. "I'll leave the rest of you to decide who's keeping the car running. I won't take long." With that, Orochimaru began walking towards the side of the building overrun with greenery. Sakura watched the large man follow them, a glint that made her heart jump in terror in his eyes as he met her gaze.
Grinding metal made her look back as Orochimaru opened a hidden door and made his way into a dark, dingy hallway with only a few dim lights. As they made their way further down the hall, she could see breaks along the walls leading to more hallways lined with doors. When they reached the end of the hall, Sakura looked around seeing that they ended up in a large open room.
There was a staircase along the back walls leading up to the other three levels, but that's not what held her attention. What made her little heart race, was the sight of a large group of men gathered around something that she couldn't see. The sound of loud impacts, groans of pain, and screams for mercy let it known that someone was being beaten.
Is no one going to help him?
Instead of going to the group, they walked around, heading for the stairs. As they ascended, Sakura had a better view of what was going on. A large man- not as large as the one following them- repeatedly punched and kicked a much smaller man until blood sprayed everywhere. Horrified, Sakura quickly looked away causing her captor to chuckle.
Just let this nightmare end soon!
They kept ascending until they reached a large set of double doors. Pushing through them, Sakura saw that this room is a large office. She didn't have much time to look around as Orochimaru moved to the large desk in the back of the spacious room and sat in the chair. He placed her on the floor next to him but kept a bruising grip on her shoulder.
"Do you know where you are, little Sakura-chan?" Sakura turned her puffy, teary eyes to him and shook her head, her body still shaking terribly. "You're standing in the center of my kingdom." The large man laughed, causing both of their attention to turn to him.
"Don't you mean the little whore's new home." He bellowed heartily. Orochimaru regarded him for a moment before turning back to the pink-haired girl.
"You won't understand what I do here even if I told or showed you so that'll be a waste of my valuable time. However," he dragged her closer, leaning in closer to look her in the eye, "do you know what a bad man does?" Sakura swallowed thickly as she nodded slowly. "Tell me what a bad man does, then?"
"A-a-a-" Orochimaru gave her a hard shake, causing her to gasp in pain before taking a deep breath. "A-a bad man h-h-hurts people or breaks the law."
"What a smart little niece I have." He praised, straightening and relaxing his hold slightly. "I am a bad man, Sakura-chan. I kill people, I take kids from their mommies and daddies and force them to do work for me, and I also break the law more times a day than you breathe." He leaned back in his chair, looking down his nose at Sakura with a venomous grin. "I've already taken your mommy and daddy forever, I can even take your brother forever too."
"No!" The choked cry made a waterfall of new tears to fall from the young girl's eyes.
She knows he hurt her parents- she saw it with her own eyes- and she heard him tell those men to kill them.
He can't do the same thing to Satoshi- I won't let him!
"It doesn't matter how much you beg and plead." He laughed, tightening his grip. "Now that your parents are dead, you and your brother are going to be mine to do with as I please. To the world, I'll be your long lost uncle taking you both in after a horrible tragedy. I can make you do whatever I want- I can even make your brother do whatever I want. Better yet, I can have him killed if I wished for it." Before Sakura can say anything, Orochimaru yanked her forward, causing her to fall into his lap. "I can do whatever I want because no one is ever going to save you. No one cares what happens to a pitiful orphan." He hissed down at her. "Unless," he placed an almost gentle hand on her back, helping her to stand straight again, "you prove to be of use."
"I know a few ways she can be made useful." Orochimaru didn't even spare him a glance, his eyes solely focused on the child before him.
"Lately, I've been in need of someone that can get into places that my normal men can't. I have enough prostitutes and mules, but I don't have enough obedient assassins that don't look suspicious." He grabbed a lock of her medium length hair, allowing it to cascade through his fingers. "And you, my cute little niece, are practically the least threatening looking thing around."
"You want to make this brat into a killer?" The large man scoffed. "If you're as smart as they say, I wouldn't even waste the-" a loud gunshot ripped a scream from the young girl's throat. Orochimaru's eyes never left the young girl before him, even while his left hand still held the smoking gun. Sakura watched with wide eyes as the large man fell with a thump- a hole nestled between his eyes oozed blood slowly onto the carpeted flooring.
"Or," Orochimaru stated slowly, shoving the gun to the middle of the young girl's forehead, "do you still want to be of no use to me?" Sakura's entire body shook violently as she vehemently shook her head, tears gushing out of her eyes.
"I-I-I'll do anything! Please, don't hurt me or Satoshi! I-I-I'll do a-a-anything!" She blubbered through her tears, her eyes wide and frantic. A deep laugh left Orochimaru's lips as he slipped the gun back into it's concealed spot within his jacket.
"I knew you were smart." Finally, he released his grasp on her, but the young girl knew better than to move from her spot. "Now, let's get you back home! We need to make sure the cops aren't suspicious of your absence once they find out about your parents." He pulled out a cellphone from his pocket and sent off a few texts.
All the while, a crying Sakura tried to keep her eyes from drifting to the cooling body of the large man. Once Orochimaru was done, he stood from his place and reached out a hand to the young girl. She took it without a word.
"Now, let's go over what you're going to say, my little niece."
By the time they arrived back at the house, the sun was rising. From a distance, they could already hear a swarm of police sirens quickly approaching. Not wanting to be caught, Orochimaru and the two men who murdered Sakura's parents, dropped the young girl off in the cover of an alley a little ways from the house.
"Remember: if you say anything besides what I told you, then you and your brother are of no use to me." Were his parting words before they drove off.
Sakura watched the taillights disappear into the distance, her eyes burning with angry tears.
I won't let him get to Satoshi! I'll stop him!
She angrily wiped at her tears as that simple thought gave her a glimmer of something to fight for. If not for herself, she will fight for her brother. Turning on her heels, she made her way to her front yard. By now, policemen flooded the place with one man with dark shoulder-length hair and eyes knelt before her brother by the driveway. A thick blanket was thrown across his shoulders as he spoke to the man, his eyes eerily vacant. Another man- a little taller than the one speaking to her precious aniki- walked out of the house followed by two gurneys with black body bags on top of them and two pairs of paramedics.
This man had long spiky hair and looked older based on the lines on his face but they both shared deep dark eyes. While they were loading the ambulance with the gurneys, the man with the long spiky hair spotted Sakura's slowly approaching form. At first, he thought she was some kind of ghost from how aimlessly she moved, but the sight of dried blood on the young girl's clothing made it clear she is most definitely alive.
"Fugaku!" The man speaking to Sakura's brother turned his head.
"What is it, Madara?"
"I think the other sibling just came back." At that, Satoshi finally snapped his head up, his eyes going glassy at the sight of his baby sister approaching.
"Sakura!" The young boy bolted past Fugaku before he could stop him and dashed to his sister.
Sakura paused, looking up to his approaching figure. She wanted to smile, to cry, to throw herself into his warm embrace and forget everything that's happened, but the image of the man being beaten or the large man's corpse was like a bucket of ice water.
Nothing can go back to the way it was.
So, as Satoshi threw his arms around her, all she could do was silently cry, her arms hanging limply by her side.
I can't let anything happen to him.
"Sakura, where have you been?" Satoshi asked, pulling away far enough to look her in the eye. Behind him, the two officers, Fugaku and Madara, towered over them, watching her expectedly.
Maybe… one of them is working for Orochimaru?
If that's true, then she can't tell them what happened. Afterall, Orochimaru told her he has people everywhere - especially in the police department. If she messes this up, then he'll kill her brother and her. That's something she can't let happen.
I won't let them hurt aniki!
"We'll talk to her after we get her checked out." Madara bent down, holding a hand out to her. "Your name is Sakura, right?" A small smile played on his lips causing a flash of Orochimaru to come to the forefront of her mind.
Fear caused her body to shake, as she held her hands in front of her chest. Fugaku and Madara shared a look as Satoshi took a step closer.
"What's wrong, Sakura?" The little boy's eyes narrowed, his hands balling into fists. "Was it the bad man? Did he hurt you?" That caught the two officer's attention.
"Did the man that hurt your parents take you?" Madara asked gently while Fugaku took out a notepad and pen.
Sakura looked between the officers and her brother with longing eyes. She wanted to tell them. She wanted to expose what that horrible man did to her parents and those poor people in that warehouse. She wanted to tell them everything, but is it worth her older brother's life?
"You can tell us, Sakura-Chan. Even if they threatened you, we can help." Madara smiled gently, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's our job to keep you safe, and we're very good at it." His face brightened as he looked at her expectantly.
Sakura stares into his friendly eyes as she begins to feel a sense of safety that she hasn't felt in the past few hours. Maybe, just maybe, he can help? Maybe… maybe he can protect them from Orochimaru?
"Satoshi! Sakura!" Her breath hitched, her hands shook, and her eyes blew up at the sound of Orochimaru's voice.
Slowly, she looked towards the road as the monster who started all this got out of the same black car from earlier. He wasn't wearing the same all-black attire and trench coat he had on earlier. Now, he looked as if he had just rolled out of bed in his dark blue flannel pants, long sleeve black shirt, and dark blue housecoat. His hair was disheveled from its slicked state from before. The only thing that stayed the same, was his eyes.
Even though he ran over to them with concern coating his voice. Even though he knelt before Satoshi and held him in a tight hug that looked comforting. Even though his eyes shined with unshed tears as his face was covered in grief, he could never hide the truth in his eyes. Those dark eyes that held an emptiness that made Sakura's blood run cold. The same eyes that connected with her that held the same dark promise in them since the moment she met him.
"I'll kill you and your brother if you tell."
"Sakura, dear? Are you alright?" Orochimaru asked as he moved closer to her.
Sakura's body began to shake harder as tears fell down her cheeks. She didn't want him near her. She didn't want to lie to everyone. She didn't want today to be real. All she wanted was her parents. All she wanted was for things to go back to the way they were yesterday.
But now everything is over.
Within seconds, she fell to her knees wailing and crying. The sudden action caused the two officers to stop Orochimaru from getting any closer as they watched her in shock. Even Satoshi was taken aback as he rushed to her, patting her back as he knelt beside her.
"Usually a child only breaks down like this when something is triggering trauma." Fugaku suspiciously stated, turning narrowed eyes on Orochimaru.
Madara watched the two orphaned siblings for a while longer before turning curious eyes to Orochimaru as well.
"How did you know something was going on here? We haven't alerted the media yet and I don't recall the Harunos having any other relatives." Orochimaru lowered his head, his eyes downcast and his shoulders slumped.
"I'm afraid that is a complicated family matter." He softly stated, his eyes drifting to the siblings. "I didn't even know my brother had children until I got the call." At that, Satoshi's head snapped up.
He stared at Orochimaru for a long moment before his eyes widened in recognition.
"You!" He shouted, bringing the two officers' attention to him.
"What is it, Satoshi?" Madara asked, his brow raised. The young boy's eyes narrowed as he raised an accusing finger.
"He isn't our uncle! He's a bad man!" That made Fugaku and Madara frown at each other as Orochimaru turned away from the boy in shame.
"Care to explain what the boy means?" Fugaku asked in a hard tone. Orochimaru sighed deeply.
"I'm afraid my brother has even told his children those horrible things about me." Turning back to the officers, shame was written all over his face. "Haru is my brother. He was adopted by the same family as I was after his parents passed when he was younger." He closed his mouth, another sigh coming from his lips as he lowered his head. A hand covered his face as he continued. "The last time we spoke we… got into an argument over a girl he liked. Our foster parents had passed and I was responsible for him." He sighed again, dropping his hand but keeping his gaze low. "Back then, she was a… promiscuous woman and I didn't want her hurting him. He took offense and cut me out of his life. He told me I was toxic and trying to destroy him but I… I truly only wanted what was best for him." He finally raised his head, his eyes still shiny. "That was over ten years ago. I don't even think he remembered I was still listed as a next of kin. When I got the call that he…" he paused, letting out another deep breath. His eyes slid closed as he hung his head dejectedly. "Please. I couldn't help my brother. I couldn't take care of him as our parents wanted. Please, please let me take care of his children in his absence- at least for today. I know what it's like being in foster care and I want to spare them that torment if only for a little while after what happened."
Despite everything that happened- after everything he put their family through, Sakura almost believed the act he was putting on. Almost. It was when she calmed enough to look him in the eye again that she remembered. It was when his eyes briefly met hers again that she knew this was all apart of the act he told her they had to play. An act that he's giving a perfect performance for.
"I hate to think about what they could have seen tonight - especially poor little Sakura. She's so young- it could have traumatized her for the rest of her life!" Again, Orochimaru put on a marvelous act as he covered his face with his hand, taking a deep, shaky breath.
Fugaku locked eyes with Sakura. It didn't take much to notice the pure fear and torment twisting her young face. One look at Satoshi showed he was torn between wanting to yell at Orochimaru to leave them alone and comforting his sister from something that was scaring her. Turning to Madara, Fugaku saw something in his eyes that he couldn't read as he looked Orochimaru up and down. Sighing internally, Fugaku knew he would have to take the led before something really shitty happened. And he would like to make it home at a decent time to get some more sleep today.
"Who the kids go with isn't our call." Fugaku started, taking out his notepad again. He jotted down a number before ripping the page and handing it to the grieving man. "The kids are going with CPS today. If you want to gain guardianship, talk to them about it. Until then, we will be holding the children until they come. We still have a killer on the loose that maybe after them." Orochimaru gazed at Fugaku through his fingers before standing straight and taking the paper.
"Can I at least be here for when you interrogate the children? It isn't proper for them to be hounded without an adult present at the very least."
"Given their reactions, that's not going to happen." Madara stepped in, folding his arms. His eyes stayed glued to Orochimaru as a small grin played on his lips. "Plus, we still need to verify a few things about you. I think we can start with where you were last night up until this morning." Orochimaru looked puzzled as he took a step back.
"Do you think I could have done this? Haru is my brother!"
"That doesn't mean much. I've seen people kill their mothers for insurance claims." Madara cooly responded, his eyes narrowing minutely as he sized up the man before him.
Fugaku could see that it wasn't going to go anywhere soon. Turning to the terrified girl, Fugaku turned away from the two men and knelt in front of her causing both siblings to look at him.
"Did you see the man that did this to your parents?" Sakura's eyes widened as terror glossed over her eyes. Fugaku took that as an answer as he pressed on. "Can you tell me who he is?" Her chest heaved as she started to hyperventilate as she looked between all four of the men around her.
"I… I can't… I can't tell you." Satoshi reeled back, his face covered in disbelief.
"Sakura, you have to tell them! They'll catch him and make him pay for what he did to mommy and daddy!" Sakura snapped her head to Satoshi, tears freely flowing down her cheeks.
"I can't! Bad things will happen if I do!"
"But they can stop that from-!"
"No! I won't! I won't! I won't!" Sakura screamed, her face twisted in agony as she cried hysterically.
Satoshi took a step back as he watched her cry in shock. Even Fugaku moved away as he watched helplessly. It wasn't until he saw the car the CPS worker was driving stop in front of the house that he thought it was safe enough to speak again.
"Well then, I think it's best we continue this later." With that, he motioned to Madara to follow him as they made their way back into the house.
As the two siblings were led away by the CPS worker and Orochimaru left in his tinted car, none of them had any idea of what that night started. None of them knew the storm their decisions created. None, except for a lone man that stood in the shadows of a nearby home who watched the two children being placed in the CPS car. He alone knew what was going to happen, yet, he was powerless to prevent.
I'm so sorry this story came out so late. I didn't know if this storyline was going to be any good and I was already working on Save Me so I let this one sit on the sideline for a while. However, I finally think I made it well enough to share! I will also try to get the sequel to Save Me out while I'm posting this one. I hope you all enjoyed!